New Orleans Jazz Band of Austin...a November 18 Hit at Cap City
by Dave Stoddard
The New Orleans Jazz Band of Austin put on a fine show before an appreciative audience at Cap City Comedy Club on Sunday, November 18. The band was led by pianist/banjoist Tommy Griffith, ably supported by Jim Ivy on clarinet and soprano saxophone, Larmon Maddox on cornet, Max Lyon on trombone, Dan Augustine on tuba and Budge Mabry on drums.
The band set a fast pace during the first set, playing
thirteen numbers
one after another. Opening tune Hindustan featured that
rarity, a Dan Augustine tuba solo. This was followed by a
relaxed-tempo rendition of Margie. Rosetta received a fast,
hot treatment, featuring a duet by Larmon Maddox and Max Lyon, and a
solo on the final bridge by Dan Augustine. Tommy Griffith
opened the afternoon's display of his considerable vocal ability with a
solo on the Irving Berlin tune, My Walking Stick. Max Lyon
took a beautiful high-register solo on Saint James Infirmary
Blues. Jim Ivy played a contemplative lead on the Sidney
Bechet ballad, Si Tu Va Ma Mere (which, as Dan Augustine pointed out
translates roughly as: Have You Seen My Horse).
The first set wound up with something completely
different.
Tommy Griffith led the band through the old standard "Shanty in Old
Shanty Town". However, having delivered a good
but relatively
routine vocal, Tommy put on dark glasses and a baseball cap, came to
the front line and chanted through a rap chorus to heavy drums from
Budge Mabry. It hrought the house down.
The second set opened with the band showing its walkaround
style. Tommy played banjo and Dan Augustine set aside his
recording-bell upright tuba for a helicon, an obsolescent marching tuba
which was the predecessor of the sousaphone. Budge Mabry
played the washboard. On the third of the walkaround numbers,
Budge played a combination washboard solo and tap dance, a crowd
favorite. The band played Snake Rag, one of its signature
tunes featuring long breaks by the three front line players.
Tommy chipped in a fine piano solo.
The band got off the beaten track a bit with the old Hank
Williams tune
Mind Your Own Business and the rarely-heard Auntie Skinner's Chicken
Dinners. Your reviewer once played this with Tex Wyndham and
his Red Lion Jazz Band, an ensemble famed for its forays into the dusty
corners of the trad repertoire. The second set wound up with
a lusty rendition of Tiger Rag, featuring some wild tuba breaks on the
vocal chorus by Dan.
The third set opened up with one of the "Oriental" tunes, Limehouse Blues. Tommy offered a nice vocal on Nobody Knows You When You're Down and out, followed by a neat solo on soprano sax by Jim Ivy. Jim stayed on soprano for his solo on the dance standard Jersey Bounce. Tommy mentioned that this had once been a featured tune of the western swing band led by Hank Thompson. The jazz standard Royal Garden Blues featured yet another solo by Dan Augustine, who evidently has turned over a new leaf in his soloistic efforts. The Charlie Shavers hit Undecided was graced by a nice trombone solo by Max Lyon. The show wound up with a medley featuring short versions of Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans and the Saints.
The New Orleans Jazz Band of Austin is a solid group, one of the best in the city, and they delivered a solid performance. The dance floor stayed full all afternoon. Tommy Griffith showed why he is one of the most recognizeable of all Austin-area jazz players. From the riverboats to jazz festivals to jazz venues all over Central Texas, he helps set the standards by which other jazz players are measured. In addition to fine playing ansd singing, Tommy featured easy and humorous patter between songs that helped build a relaxed atmosphere. The result was a memorable show.
